Mobile hoist



Dec.`28, 1943. w. H. LANNERT 2,337,754

MOBILE HOIST Filed May 14; 1942 l2 .sheets-sheet 1 Dec. 28, w43. w. H. LANNERT MOBILE HOI ST Filed May 14, 1942 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Patented Dec. 2S, 1943 MOBILE HOIST William H. Lannert, Skokie, Ill., assigner to Chicago Pump Company, a corporation of Illi- Application May 14, 1942, Serial No. 442,925

(Cl. 21B-8) 11 Claims.

This invention relates to a hoist and particularly to a mobile hoist for operating on various pieces of apparatus. While the hoist hereinafter described and claimed is of general application, it is particularly designed for use where stationary anchor means are provided to which the hoist body may be rigidly attached. In particular the hoist disclosed herein is especially adapted for operation on sewage treating tank aeration apparatus such as is described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 429,230, iiled February 2, 1942. The hoist will be described in connection with such sewage apparatus merely by way of example.

Sewage treating systems generally include a, multiplicity of tanks into which are suspended aeration apparatus for supplying predetermined quantities of air to the sewage contents of the tanks. As particularly described in the hereinbefore mentioned application, the apparatus for feeding air is swingably disposed from stationary parts disposed at the tank side. It is necessary to have access to these swingable units and for this purpose catwalks are generally provided along the tank sides and leading to the various pieces of sewage apparatus. Service men and service apparatus may move along these catwalks to the various pieces of sewage treating equipment.

Heretofore it has been the practice to have xed portions of the hoisting mechanism incorporated into each sewage treating station. This practice is uneconomical and involves an unnecessary duplication of such mechanism. The hoist of my invention is designed to dispense with this practice because it may be wheeled on the catwalks to any desired station and there be rigidly anchored to a stationary portion of the pivotally suspended aeration apparatus to swing it from the sewage tank to a position within easy reach from the catwalk.

In general the hoist comprises a more or less elongated frame upon which the entire hoisting apparatus is carried. This frame is preferably mounted upon casters or rollers for ready movement. While the dimensions of the frame are of no intrinsic importance, the frame as designed for use in a sewage plant is preferably long in comparison to its transverse dimension so that it may be readily maneuvered within narrow spaces. One end of the frame, which may for convenience be termed the rear end, is provided with an adjustable clamping means for anchoring the hoist to a fixed portion of the work to be operated upon, in this particular case a portion of the sewage treating system. The adjustable clamping means in its simplest form is a sort of vise which is adapted to engage the work to be operated upon,

It is preferred to have the clamping means engage predetermined fixed regions of the stationary portion of the apparatus and to this end such apparatus is provided at these regions with suitably prepared contoured parts which may be readily and firmly engaged. Pivctally carried by the frame is at least one beam or arm in which the actual hoisting function is localized. As shown, the hoist has a plurality of beams pivotally mounted to move in vertical planes.

Preferably, the beams have coincident pivotal axes and such pivotal axes are, preferably, although not necessarily, coincident with the axis along which clamping pressure is applied. The beams are actuated by suitable means such as a flexible cable attached to one beam and passing over a portion of the other beams.

In conjunction with the beams and as part of the hoisting mechanism the truck carries a suitable motor driven winch to operate upon the cable, and suitable motor control equipment for either manual or automatic control.

In the normal use of the hoist herein described, the truck is wheeled to a particular desired station. The truck body is positioned and the beams are swung out with the cable being paid out accordingly. Preferably, at least one of the beams is provided with an engaging means which in this particular instance engages a portion of the sewage aerator. This engagement is automatic and is accomplished by the positioning of the truck during the clamping operation. Thereafter the hoist maybe operated in the normal fashion to either swing out an aerator unit from the tank or if the aerator unit has been out to return the same. Y

The invention willnow be described in detail with reference to the drawings wherein:

Figure l is an isometric side elevation of the hoist in clamped position and operating on an aerator unit;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view looking down upon the hoist with the hoist free of the aerator unit and the beams resting on the truck;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail along 3--3 of Fig. 2 and showing the details of the clamp adjustment; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail along -d of Fig. 2 and showing the details of the stationary portion of the clamping means.

Referring now to the drawings, the hoist comprises a truck frame I of pressed Steel or the like having a generally rectangular outline. As is clearly evident from Fig. 2, the frame is long in comparison to its Width. For mobility, the frame is provided with a centrally disposed caster l mounted upon a fork l2 pivotally carried by frame I0 near one end thereof. Fork i2 has attached thereto a handle I3 which may be used formoving the truck and working the same into position. This end of the truck may be conveniently referred to as the front.

Carried at the rear end of frame lil and formlng a part thereof is a U-shaped clamping por` tion. This clamping portioncomprises a trans--A verse section l5 and sides It; and il. It shouldbe noted, particularly from Fig. 2; that transverse section l5 extends beyond the side of frame l0. This increased width at theclamping region endows the hoist with transverse stabil-l ity. Sides IG and l1 carry supporting wheelsv L8` andv lpsuitably mounted on axles-so that the,v entire hoist hashawthree wheel suspension.

As is evident from Fig. 1, the U-shaped clamping portion is so mounted with respect to truck frame i0 as to have an upward tiltv whereby sides lrand Il extend upwardly at an angle. from the horizontal base line of the truck. This is to provide desirable clearance aboveground. The free ends Z5 and 2l of sides I6 andl'i have bearingsupon which are pivotally mountedbeams 2 3 and 24. These beams incline toward each other so that at f ree ends 25 and 26 the distance between the beams is substantially less than at the pivot points. The freeends 25A and 26 are rigidly retained in positionby a crossblock 27. As Yshown here, beam 23 extendssubstantially 1. erpendicular from the pivot axis while beam 24 i is inclined. Howevenrboth beamsmay be inclined or the relationship may be reversed if desired. Both beams`V function as a unit as far as hoisting is concerned.V By 'virtue' of the strad-U dgling effect, stability ofthe hoist is assured.

. Asshown clearly in Fig,k 4, the anchored portion of beams 2(3is yrotatably carried byclamping side I'IV of the frameV on,a suitably machined bearing surfacef` of a centering blockj 28 vcarried by side Il. Beam ,24, having a suitablyrmai ohinedy aperture at theanchor end,- may rotate on bearing surface 281 and is retained 4in position bya face plate 29. Face plateand block 28 are, preferably, contoured to provideaholloW region 29'V into which a predetermined part of the stationary apparatus vmayiit for clamping purposes. Thisoontouring may be a simple circularcayity. A convex .contour may beprovided if desired.k FaceA plate `29 and, region 29' function as the anvil for a clamp.

Beam 23 has its pivot portion30disposed in such a manner that it mayrotate around a sleeve 3l. This sleeve is supported at the free end of, clamp side, I6 by means ,of bolts 32engaging an outwardlyextending flange 33 formingapart of the sleeve structure. It will be noted that sleeve 3| .extends transverselyv of. side I6, on opposite sides of supporting flange 33.

A, clamping pin or bolt 35 isslidably disposed Within.sleev.e,3l and is. adapted to .extend beyond the two ends ofthe. sleeve. Bolt. 35 has oneportion 35 VVterrninatingin a blunt taperimsl" clamping tip 3l extending transversely of .clamp/s.' side I6 and pointing toward region 29. onrthe.. oppositeclamp side.l'l. v'Ihe bolt axis may be considered as the .axis of :the `.clamping means. An auxiliary beam 38 is carried by portionandgextends perpendicularlytherefromjor .adistance. The length of auxiliary beam 38 is preferabiy of the same order as that of beam 23. Auxiliary beam 33 is carried by portion 36 in any suitable manner. Thus, it is shown as rigid therewith but may be rotatable thereon if desired.

Bolt 35 also has a threaded portion 4B extending outwardly from the frame. Surrounding threaded portion iii of the bolt is the flanged end 'di of sleeve 3l. The free end of flange 4I is provided with an annular recess 52 and is adapted to have a cover plate 133 retained by bolts A engaging ange 4i. Cover plate d3 has its inner surface substantially in line with the inside surface of sleeve 3l so that recess 42 is closed to forman annular groove.

A sleeve lil having a shouldered end 48 is adaptedto be locked in groove 2 and retained in aligned position with respect to sleeve 3|. For this purpose shouldered end t8 of sleeve 47 has agroove Minto which cover plate i3 mayibe disposed. It is clear that cover plate 43 must be split or divided into two parts to be seated in groove 69. At this end of sleeve 47, a nut portion- 5U is provided having a thread cooperating with the threaded portion 46 of bolt 35.

main body of sleeve ril' is provided with an enlarged bore 5i substantially larger than the diameter of threaded portion dil of bolti. Hence bolt 35 may move freely. The end of threaded porvtion d of bolt is reduced to provide arsmall threaded portion upon which is` disposed a lock nut 53. The diameter of lock nut 53 is such that it will slide smoothly within bore 5I but will 35 be stopped by the threaded portion 58 of sleeve 4l. This provides a limit to inward travel of bolt 35. shouldered end i3 `of sleeve 4T has a ange 54 to which is bolted a hand wheel 55.

By virtue of the construction hereinbefore described, it is clear that rotation of hand wheel 55 will cause sleeve li' to rotate. Since axial movement. of sleeve dl is prevented, it follows that clamping bolt 35 will be moved lengthwise depending upon the direction of rotation of hand wheel 55. It is understood that the bolt portion 36 of boltV 35 is of a size to fit smoothly within sleeve 3l.

Referring now to auxiliary beam 38, a heavy supporting saddle construction 65 is shown asA carried by beam 38. This saddle may be formed of any suitablemetal such as pressed steel and consistsV oftwo `arms Stand 6l connected by a generally semicircular portion G8. Arms 65 and 6? extend toward the opposite sideof 'the frame 55 and, as shownY here, `are particularly adapted to engage the body portion 1G of thejswinging,part

of a sewage aerator construction as morespecically described and claimed in the ycopendingapby amotor it.. A storage compartment 'i5 for,

654 slack cable H may be provided. A suitable motor control 'd6 having either v automatid; manual or combined control characteristics may be provided Afsothat overrunning may beavoided.

in nestedrelationship overthe truck. Thus, the

entire hoist occupies amnimum of space and.`

provides a compact construction. 75;.; In ordertooperatetne ,hoistitis necessary.

The i In order to provideV a compact .construction,. vthebeamsand truokhconstructin aresopcorrelated as to permit of thebeamsbeing foldedv down position the saddle 65 below body portion 'I0 ot the swinging part of a sewage aerator. This may be done by maneuvering the hoist into clamping position. In this position of the truck and prior to the actual clamping to the aerator, the beams are swung up from the truck with beam 38 kadvanced sufciently so that saddle 65 is transversely in line to engage portion i of the aerator. rlhis will naturally depend upon the initial position of the acrator. Thus, if the aerator is in a raised position and is to be lowered then beam 3S will not have to be turned very far. On the other hand, if the aerator is in an operative position within the tank, that is if the aerator is depending downwardly, then beam 38 will have to be turned over even beyond the position shown in Fig, 1.

Cable l! will, naturally, beA paid out to permit all the beams to swing. When beam 38 is adjusted properly so that saddle 65 engages the aerator then the clamp may be tightened to anchor the hoist rigidly in position. The movement of beam 33 with bolt 35 results in saddle 65 being positioned under part l of the aerator. Thereafter the hoist and aerator may be considered as one and the hoist operated in the usual fashion.

As clearly sho-wn in Fig. 1, beam 38 is the one that is actually used for hoisting and is normally in advance of beams 23 and 2d which operate as a unit. By virtue oi this angular advance and the fact that cable 'li' passes over guide block 12, a hoisting component on beam 38 will always be provided within a wide range of beam positions. Thus ii beam 43 were dropped so that it extended outwardly from the truck then a direct pull on cable il would not result in any substantial hoisting effort on the cable extended along the beam. By having the auxiliary beams 23 and 2d stand up from the truck a true hoisting construction results.

In practice when hoisting, the angle between beam and beams 23 and 2d remains substantiaiiy constant until beams 23 and 2d are in positien where cable 'li goes straight through block it. 'linen beam 3% is the only one to be moved. An automatic winch control may be provided for stopping hoisting action when beam 38 has reached a predetermined position.

During the reverse operation, in case it is desired to lower an aerator, it is not necessary to raise beams 23 and 2d. The turning of beam away from the truck may be utilized to pull up beams and 2d. In order to provide this action, cable "El is provided with a lug 'H for engaging or locking in guide member l2 and thus providing a positive pull on beams 23 and 2li.

desired, fixed stops may be provided for limiting 'the outward movement of beam 33 and also the movement of auxiliary beams 23 and 24.

providing the maximum truck width at the ciamping axis it is evident that a substantial base for the hoist exists and thus stability is insured. inasmuch as sides I6 and I'I must be o tiy strong to withstand the clamping force advantage may be taken of this by locating the pivotal axis of the beams on these sides. in parti-cular, by having the pivotal and clamping aids coincident, maximum hoisting stability is assured while most efficient use of the strength of materials is obtained.

Finally, it should be noted that the clamping end oi the entire truck is the lighter end. Since this end may have to be raised under some conditions to engage for clamping, the reduced effort for doing this is desirable. As made however, the truck may be run directly into position with little or no lifting. A lug i8 may be provided on the front end of the frame l to anchor this end in place during hoisting operation.

It should also be noted that during pivotal movement of beam 38 a movement of pivot bolt 35 takes place. However, since the movement will always be a fraction of the pitch distance between threads on part liti it need not aiect the clamping action. By having sufficient play in the cooperating clamping surfaces, a satisfactory pivotal clamp action may still be obtained irrespective of the position of beam 38.

What is claimed is:

l. A hoist comprising a truck frame movably mounted, said truck frame having one end thereof as the hoisting end, clamping means carried by the hoisting end of said truck for rigidly iastening said ytruck in operative relation to the work to be operated upon by said hoist and yet allowing for relative rotatable movement between the work and the clamping means, saidi clamping means having an axis about which said work is rotated, at least one beam, means on said beam for engaging a part of the work to be hoisted, and means for moving said beam and cause the work to rotate about said clamp axis and thereby hoist the work, said means forming a substantial portionof the entire weight of the hoist and being concentrated at the end remote from the hoisting end.

A hoist comprising a movable truck having a hoisting end, clamping means on said end for rigidly engaging a stationary part of work to be operated upon and yet allowing for relative rotatable movement between the work and the clamping means, said clamping means having an axis, at least one beam pivotally mounted and having a center of movement substantially concentric with said clamping means, means on said beam for engaging a part of the work to be hoisted, and means for moving said beam and cause the work to rotate about said clamp axis and thereby hoist the Work.

A hoisting device comprising a movable truck having a hoisting end, adjustable clamping means ior engaging a stationary portion of the work to be operated upon and yet allowing for relative rotatable movement between the work and the clamping means, said clamping means having an axis about which said work is rotated, a pair of independently swingable beams, means on one of said beams for engaging a part of the work to be hoisted, a cable attached to the end of said one beam and passing through a support on said other beam, and means for moving said cable to move said beams and cause the work to rotate about said clamp axis and thereby hoist the work.

4. A hoisting device comprising a movable truck having a hoisting end, manually adjustable clamping means for engaging a stationary portion of the work to be operated upon, a pair or independently swingable beams, means on one of said beams for engaging the work to be hoisted, a cable attached to the end of said one beam and passing through a support on said other beam, means for moving said cable to move said beams for hoisting purposes, said last named means forming a substantial portion of the entire weight of the hoist and being concentrated at the end remote from the hoisting end.

5. A hoist comprising a movable substantially narrow elongated truck body, said body having a hoisting end having a width, substantially greater-than the truck body proper, adjustable clamping means on said hoisting end for rigidly engaging a stationary portion of work to be operated'upon, a pair of beams pivotallyv mounted and having a concentric pivot axisl substantially coaxial with said clamping means, a cable connecting said two beams, means on one of said beams for engaging the Work to be operated upon, and means for moving said cable for hoisting.

6. A hoist comprising a movable, substantially narrow elongated truck body, said body having a hoisting end with a Widthk substantially greater than that of the truck body proper, adjustable clamping means on said hoisting end for rigidly engaging a stationary portion of work to be operated upon', a pair of beams pivotally mounted and having a concentric pivotaxis substantially coaxial with said clamping means, said adjustable clamping means including a pivot bolt around which saidbeams` move, said pivot bolt having a threaded portion, a rotatable threaded member cooperating with the threaded portion of said pivot bolt, means for preventing movement or saidI rotatable member along the axis of said bolt,

means for mounting said pivot bolt so that said pivot bolt moves longitudinally in response to turning of said rotatable member, a clamping anvil carried by said hoisting end spaced from said pivot bolt but in line with the axis thereof whereby said pivot bolt may be moved lengthwise to clamp a part between it and the anvil, a cable tied to one of said beams and passing over the other beam and means for moving said cable for hoisting.

7. A movable hoist comprising a substantially narrow elongated body, said body having a hoist end with a width substantially greater than that of the truck body proper, said hoisting end having a pair of spaced arms for embracing a stationary portion of the work to be operated upon, one of said arms having a journal, a pivot bolt movably mounted in said journal for both longitudinal and rotational movement, said pivot bolt having a threaded portion, a manual control including a nut portion cooperating with the threaded bolt portion, means for mounting said manual control on said one arm whereby said manual control may only be rotated to force said pivot bolt to move lengthwise thereof, at least Yone* beam piv'otally mounted to move around an axis parallel with that of the pivot bolt and means forl swinging saidl beam for hoisting purposes.

' 8`. The structure of claim 7 wherein said beam axis is coincident with the pivot bolt axis.

f 9. The structure of claim 7, wherein an additional beam is provided, both beams having coincident axes around which they move, and a cable tied to one beam for hoisting purposes and sliding over lthe other beam end, and means for moving vsaid cable for hoisting.

i0. A hoist comprising a truck frame' movably mounted, said truck frame having one end thereof as the hoisting end,adjustable clamping means carried by the hoisting end of said truck for rigidly fastening said truck in operative relation to the work to be operated upon by said hoist, said clamping means including an elongated bolt adapted to move back and forth for clamping or releasing purposes, a beam rigidly carried by said bolt'. and extending perpendicularly therefrom, a work engaging member carried by said beam and adapted to rest under a part to be raised, and meansA for moving said beam to raise or lower said work engaging part as desired, said work engaging part being adapted to be moved into position under the part to be raised during the clamping of the hoist.

11. A hoist comprising a truck frame movably mounted, said truck frame having one end thereof as the hoisting endsaid hoisting end having av width substantially greater than that of the truck body proper, said hoisting end having two spaced clamping portions, means for rigidly clamping a stationary member between said clamping portions for rigidly anchoring said hoist, a beam extending from each side of said truck at the hoisting end' pivotally mounted thereon, means for rigidly joining the free ends ofY said beams to form a composite beam pivotally moving as a unit, a second beam carried by said clamping' 'end and pivotally mounted, a cable attached to said second beam and passing over said' first composite beam and means for imparting hoisting effort to said cable.

WILLIAM H. LANNERT. 

